Health Minister Calls for Transfer of Competence in Homologation of Foreign Medical Degrees
The Minister of Health, José Luis Bancalero, has written a letter to Minister Mónica García urging the transfer of the competence of homologation or equivalence of foreign university degrees in medicine and nursing to Spanish university titles. This measure is seen as a way to address the chronic shortage of health professionals in the country.
With a lack of doctors in many communities, especially in rural areas, various solutions are being explored to fill vacancies. One such initiative involves hiring non-EU doctors with approved degrees but without specialization through the MIR program to work in health centers.
In Aragon, 66 non-EU doctors with approved medical degrees but without specialties are currently working as Primary Care doctors. The region is calling for the authority to tackle this issue as the process of approving these professionals is lengthy.
The urgent need to address the shortage of healthcare professionals in the National Health System is evident, particularly in Primary Care where there is a deficit of doctors specializing in Family and Community Medicine. According to Bancalero, the training system is struggling to produce enough specialists to replace the retiring family doctors, putting healthcare provision at risk.
The situation is further exacerbated in regions like Aragon, which must provide healthcare services across a large geographical area with an aging population and high rates of chronic illness.
The call for the transfer of competence highlights the pressing need to address the shortage of healthcare professionals and ensure access to quality healthcare for all citizens.